Means for suspending wires, cables, and the like



, i a Y 59. M. Vii Elsi? ET AL MEANS FOR SUSPENDING WIRES, CABLES, ANDTHE LIKE June 1 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet. 1

- a Filed March 12.

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June 10, 19% I m wm S. M. VIELE ET AL MEANS FOR SUSPENDING WIRES,GABLES, AND THE LIKE Filed-March 12. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 fling Z6 U4Jame w we HAQZQQ? s. M: VIELE ET AL MEANS FOR SUSPENDING WIRES, CABLES,AND THE LIKE Filed Marbh 12. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 10,1924.

SYLVESTER M. VIELE, OF ALTOONA, AND HARVEY K. LE SURE, OF PHILADELPHIA,

' PENNSYLVANIA.

MEANS FOR SUSPENIDING WIRES, CABLES, AND THE LIKE.

Application filed March 12, 1923. Serial No. 624,460.

To all whom e'zfmay concern: 7

Be it known that we, SYLVESTER M. VIELE and HARVEY K. Ln SURE, citizensofthe United States, and residents, respectively, of

Altoona, Blair County, and Philadelphia,

Philadelphia County, both in the State of Pennsylvania, have jointlyinvented Improved Means for suspending Wires, Cables,

and the like, of which the following is 1 specification.

Our improved supporting means are designed especially for carryingoverhead electric conductors, particularly for supplying electriccurrent to the movable contact 15. mechanisms carried by electricengines and cars, but it will be understood that our improved means areapplicable to more general use. 7

These improvements, in their preferred 0 form as applied to railwayelectrification,

named, and connected at their lower ends.

above the respective track sections; a messenger wire or wires dependingby fixed connections from the junctions of the lower ends.

of the inclined suspenders so that the sections between the connectionsshall hang in catenary curves; downwardly converging suspenders or trussmembers depending fromthe respective downwardly converging suspendersfirst named and connected at their lower ends above the respective tracksections; insulators in the converging suspenders first namedbetween-their connections with the converging suspenderssecond named andthe bodychords; an auxiliary messenger wire or wires fixed tothe'junctions of the lower ends of theconverging suspenders secondnamed; suspenders con-' necting the messenger wires at intervals alongtheir lengths to support the second named wires substantially parallelto the tracks, and a contact wire or wires connected withanddependingfrom the auxiliary messenger wire or wires so as to provide auniform degree of stiffness with sufiicient flexibility for coating withthe movable contacts without usual and undue sparking. It will beunderstood, however, that this arrangement may be modified within thescope of the claims.

Character desiderata secured by our improvements are the provision ofsuspending means of requisite rigidity to prevent undue lateral movementunder wind pressure and avoidance of entanglement with movableconductors and resulting damage to the mechanisms; the provision of thedegree of flexibility in the contact wire that will prevent the sparkingdue to hards po-ts of former constructions; the avoidance of entanglement with insulators or other parts in case of the rupture ofsupports for the conductors; and the disposition of insulators inpositions removed from the center lines of the tracks so that they shallnot be in direct line with and directly afl'ected'by exhaust gases fromsteam locomotives.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a broken isometric view ofseveral tracks together with a form of our improved" means forsuspending conductors thereover; Fig. 2 is a transverse view on anenlarged scale of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1 with certainmodifications; Fig. 3 is an illustration on an enlarged scale of adetail of the construction, showing the connections between thetransverse members, Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal viewillustrating the connections between the contact wires, auxiliarymessenger wires and main messenger wires, and Figs55 and 6 illustratemodificationsin a detail of the construction that may be used with trackcurves.

As'illustrated in the drawings, the set of tracks 1 has at the sidesthereof the poles 2 which are braced by the guy wires 3, fixed tocollars 4 clamped on thetops of the poles. Extending across" thetracksbetween the tops of the polesare cables 5,.having the form of catenarycurves,,which are fixed at their ends to the collars 4,- and providedadjacent thereto with the turn bucklesfi for adjustment. Cables '7extend across the tracks between the tops of the poles,- directl' belowthe members 5, and have their on s fixedto collars 8 on the poles,"these cables being provided with turn buckles 9 for adjustment.Suspenders 10, 11 and 12 are fixed at their tops to the members 5 and attheir bottoms to the body members 7, respectively at the sides of orbetween the tracks; the members 7 being thereby held relatively straightor a-gainstsagging. The connections 13, for fixing the suspenders 10, 11and 12 to the members 7, have joined thereto the inclined suspenders ortruss members lt arranged in pairs converging to a c0nnection above thecenter of the corresponding tracl: or in a positionapprox1- mating theperpendicular to the track at the centerthereof. The end Suspender 1d Inay, however, be connected at its upper and outer end witha'corresponding post as by a collar15. Insulators 16 are provided in theinclined suspenders 14; and 1 1. The transverse supporting spans thusprovided have the desired degree of rigidity with parts placed so thatany break liable to take place (generally in the members 18 if at all)will permit the broken parts to swing away from the centre of the track.

Messenger wires or cables 1'4, extending longitudinally of therespective tracks, are

fixed to the suspenders 1 1 at their junctions and hang between thepoints of connection in catenary curves.

Suspenders ortruss members 18 are fixed at their upper ends to thesuspenders 1 1 and 14 (between the junctions of the latter andtherespective insulators 16) and'converge downwardly to respectiveconnections above the centres of the several tracks. Auxiliary messengerwires or cables 19 are supported by the suspenders 18, by connections atthe junctions thereof, and by the suspenders 20 and 21, which have theirupper ends fixed .to themain messenger wires or cables 17 tact wireunder'the vertical pressure im posed'thereonfby the shoes 24 of thepantographs 24 carried along-the wires by cars 25 as theytravel over thetracks 1.

The construction may be variously modiffied. For instance, upon curvesinclined suspenders *18 -and 18 of difierent lengths may be used,instead ofthe members 18 of like length, so that the perpendicular fromthe middle of the inclined line connecting the rails of the inclinedtrackl will coincide approximately with the wires or cables 17, 19 and22, as illustrated in Fig. 5, and suspenders as 18 and 18 may beconnected with suspenders 1 1 and 14 at diiferent distances from thejunctures of the latter, so that the-perpendicular from the middle ofthe inclined line connecting the rails of the inclined track willcoincide approxima-tely with the wires or cables 17, 19 and 22, asillustrated in Fig.6.

It will be understood that varying conditions will call for adjustmentswithin the province of the designing engineer and within the principlesof our invention as coveredby the following; claims.

Having described our invention, we

claim 1. The supporting means comprising a catenary member, suspendersdepending from said member, a body member supported by said suspenders,and oppositely inclined suspenders fixed to said body members andconverging to a connection.

2. The supporting means comprising a catenary member, suspendersdepending therefrom, a body member supported by said suspenders,inclined suspenders fixed to said body member and converging to aconnection, and inclined suspenders fixed to said inclined suspendersfirst named and converging to a connection beneath said connection firstnamed.

3. The'supporting means comprising a catenary member, suspendersdepending therefrom, a body member supported by said suspenders, andinclined suspenders containing insulators fixed to said body member andconverging to a connection.

4. The supporting means comprising a catenary member, suspendersdepending therefrom, a body member supported by said suspenders,inclined suspenders containinginsulators fixed to said body memberandconverging to 'a connection, and inclined suspenders fixed to saidsuspenders first named between said insulators and said connection andconverging to a connection.

5. The supporting means comprising inclined suspenders convergingdownwardly to a connection, incline-d suspenders supported by saidsuspenders first named and converging downwardly to a connection beneathsaid connection first named, and insulators for said connections.

6. The supporting means comprising a plurality of body members, inclinedsuspenders containing insulators supported by each of said body membersand converging downwardly to a connection, and a conductor carried bysaid suspenders through connections aforesaid.

7. The supporting means comprising a plurality of body members, inclinedsuspenders containing insulators fixed-to each Hill of said body membersand converging downwardly to ("l connection, a conductor carried by saidconnections, suspenders depending from said conductor, inclinedsuspenders fixed to said suspenders first namedbetween their connectionsand said insula tors and converging to connections below saidconnections first named and a conductor supported by said connectionssecond named and said suspenders depending "from said conductor firstnamed.

8. The overhead, supporting and electrifying means comprising a spanhaving a top catenary member, suspenders depend ing from said member, abody member carried by said suspenders, members converging downwardlyfrom said body member to a connection insulators electrically separatingsaid connection from said body member, and a conductor sup orted by thespecified structure through said connection.

9. The overhead supporting and electrifying means comprising a pluralityof spans, each having a top catenary member, suspenders depending fromsaid member, a body member carried by said suspenders, members providedwith insulators and convergin from said body member to connections above respective tracks, and a conductor extending transversely to saidspans and supported by said converging members through said connections.

10. The overhead supporting and electrifying means comprising aplurality of spans each having a top catenary member, suspendersdepending from said member, a body member carried by said suspenders,members fixed to said body member and converging to connections, membersfixed to said converging members and converging to connections, meansfor insulating said converging members from said body member, a

cable disposed transversely to said spans and fixed to the connectionsfirst named, suspenders depending from said cable, a cable carried bysaid suspenders and said connections second named, and a conductorconnected with said cable last named so that a wave motion can beimparted thereto by upward pressure moving along it.

11. The supporting and electrifying means comprising a supportingdevice, converging. downwardly inclined hangers depending therefrom, awire or cable depending from said hangers, a conducting wire or cable,and connectors by which said conducting wire or cable is suspended fromthe wire or cable first named, said connectors spaced relatively to eachother and said hangers to permit a continuous wave motion in saidconducting wire or cable under pres sure of a traveling contact member.

12. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of asupport, conver ing hangers depending therefrom, a cab e connected withsaid hangers, converging hangers depending from the hangers first named,a conductor connected with said hangers second named, connectors joiningsaid cable and conductor at points spaced from said hangers, a contactwire, and connectors joining said wire and conductor at points betweenthe points of connection of said conductor with said second namedhangers and first named connectors so as to permit a continuous wavemotion in said wire under the action of a moving contact member thereon.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 24thday'ofFebruary,

SYLVESTER M. VIELE. HARVEY K. LE SURE.

